Kerry is in Saudi Arabia — Kendall could become “acting” deputy — Race is on to replace the Early Bird

By KATE BRANNEN

11/04/2013 10:00 AM EST

By Kate Brannen

With Jonathan Topaz

Story Continued Below

JOHN KERRY’S LATEST MIDDLE EAST TOUR: The secretary of State started his trip over the weekend with an unscheduled stop in Egypt, where he vowed the U.S. would continue to defend its allies in the region, the AP’s Matthew Lee reports. http://bit.ly/1aWr4UM

His trip to the country was the “highest-level American visit here since the Egyptian military removed the country’s first democratically elected president from power” and reflects the Obama administration’s determination to work with the military’s leaders, The New York Time’s Michael R. Gordon reports from Cairo. http://nyti.ms/16ZWGGj

Yesterday, Kerry landed in Saudi Arabia, where frustration with the U.S. has led the Gulf country to strike out on its own in Syria, stepping up its military support to rebel forces and expanding its training facilities in Jordan, according to The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung and Bob Woodward. http://wapo.st/16vTANh

MUSICAL CHAIRS AT THE PENTAGON: Last week, Morning Defense reported the Senate had confirmed Alan Estevez as the new deputy undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics.

But why did the Senate move on his nomination now after it was “on hold” for more than a year? So that he could fill in for his boss — Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics — in case he’s needed for another job? That’s how one Morning D reader (a former senior DoD official) connects the dots.

Makes sense. With Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter stepping down in December, the administration may need someone to do his job in an “acting” capacity until the White House settles on a permanent replacement. And Kendall is not only one of the few senior DoD officials qualified for the post, but also a logical choice to fill it it permanently.

-- WHY KENDALL? Because most of the other candidates don’t make a whole lot of sense. Jim Miller, the undersecretary of defense for policy, is also said to be leaving soon. And Jessica Wright hasn’t yet been confirmed as undersecretary for personnel. Pentagon Comptroller Bob Hale could be considered, but he’s swamped with planning a budget under the shadow of sequestration. If a service secretary were picked for the acting job — a possibility — it could annoy the other secretaries, especially when there are big-time budget battles.

A dark horse candidate for the “acting” job is Undersecretary for Intelligence Michael Vickers. But Kendall is seen as a more likely pick, given his current portfolio and background. Before becoming deputy, Carter had Kendall’s job.

So stay tuned.

LETTRE MADE OFFICIAL: Marcel Lettre, also just confirmed by the Senate, officially takes on his new role as principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence this morning.

Lettre, who was acting chief of staff for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and deputy chief of staff for former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, is “known for his professionalism, for his ability to get results and for his knowledge of the process dynamics of the Pentagon,” a senior defense official told Morning D. “His discretion will also serve him well in the new job.”

IT’S MONDAY. Thank you for starting your week with Morning Defense, especially when you’ve got so many early bird newsletters to choose from these days. As always, please send your latest defense news, tips and feedback to kbrannen@politico.com and follow on Twitter at @k8brannen, @morningdefense and @PoliticoPro for the latest.

WHEN NSA SPYING PAID OFF FOR THE U.S. DEFENSE INDUSTRY: While reading up on NSA over the weekend, your correspondent came across an interesting story from the archives.

In 1994, NSA intercepted phone calls in which agents of the European aerospace company Airbus were offering bribes to officials in Saudi Arabia in order to secure a $6 billion aircraft contract. The U.S. then used this information to swing the deal in favor of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. You can read more about this earlier furor over NSA spying in this BBC article from 2000: http://bbc.in/7b6R5A

Spying on allies, even very close ones, it appears, is far from new.

-- THESE DAYS, NO TIDBIT IS TOO SMALL FOR THE NSA, via The New York Times’ Scott Shane: The spy agency, “an electronic omnivore of staggering capabilities,” is gathering communications from around the world that clearly have little to do with NSA’s often-cited counterterrorism focus. http://nyti.ms/1bMTLnj

SPINAL TAP AIN’T JUST A FUNNY MOVIE: Shane’s 4,500-word story includes loads of new details, including the existence of previously unheard of spying programs and operations. The information comes from from classified documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

There’s Tracfin, Polarbreeze, Snacks and Spinaltap, which is not a made-up British band ( http://bit.ly/vjJoqk), but a program that allowed NSA to capture messages from Hezbollah.

-- DESPITE NSA’S OMNISCIENCE, STRATEGIC SUCCESS IS LIMITED: Shane writes that nowhere does NSA seem more present than in Afghanistan, and yet the war there drags on.

“Its surveillance was crucial in the capture or killing of many enemy fighters, but not nearly enough to remove the Taliban’s ominous shadow from Afghanistan’s future.”

And maybe most surprisingly, foreign languages can still stump NSA’s eavesdroppers. “Most of it is in Arabic or Farsi, so I can’t make much of it,” one NSA officer writes of communications he’s intercepted.

CONGRESS LACKS OVERSIGHT OF KEY AUTHORITY NSA USES TO COLLECT INTEL, via POLITICO’s Tony Romm: “A decades-old presidential order that allows the U.S. government to siphon up buckets of data overseas remains a blind spot for most members of Congress.

DOD NO LONGER HAS THE EARLIEST BIRD: On Friday, we learned the Early Bird is dead.

“The cause of death was murder. The Bird was strangled, after a brief illness, in its nest by Col. Steve Warren. He used his bare hands. Its passing was reported first by a close friend, Gordon Lubold, of Foreign Policy ,” wrote USA Today’s Tom Vanden Brook. http://usat.ly/1h61qnJ

To prove the Bird was truly no more, Warren delivered a nice-looking box of fried chicken to the Pentagon press room Friday, tweeted Stars and Stripes’ Chris Carroll: http://bit.ly/1glFV0F

On Twitter, folks eulogized the Bird and wondered whether DoD’s decision was a good one.

Mark Jacobson (@markondefense), said: “Current News "Early Bird" dead? Not sure that's right call DoD — it let you drive the day. Now you've relinquished control of the story.”

Stars and Stripes’ Leon Shane (@LeoShane) tweeted: “With Early Bird's official death today, you've got until Monday to plan your replacement product. Several orgs already have one in the works”

-- CHASING THE WORM: Man, Shane was right. Since the news broke Friday, it’s difficult keeping up with everyone who’s claiming to be the new Early Bird. Military.com, National Journal and the Defense News/Military Times team all announced they’re launching morning newsletters. Plus, a handful of national security think tanks already do overnight briefs. And Foreign Policy’s Situation Report has been around for just over a year.

And then there’s Morning Defense, which launched more than three years ago … just sayin’. (As with the BoSox, your Morning D correspondent is maintaining her objectivity about which morning newsletter is the best.)

SUNDAY SHOW ROUNDUP, via POLITICO’s Tal Kopan and Jonathan Topaz

-- Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and and House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers agreed the U.S. should not grant clemency to Edward Snowden. http://politi.co/HoncTk

-- SASC member Lindsey Graham defended his pledge to place a hold on all of President Barack Obama’s nominations until the survivors of the Benghazi attacks testify before Congress. http://politi.co/1iEPYuD

SPEED READ

-- A new study says medical professionals working at U.S. military detention centers were directed “to violate standard ethical principles and medical standards,” making them complicit in detainee abuse. BBC: http://bbc.in/18RTlZJ

Authors:

About The Author

Kate Brannen is a defense reporter for POLITICO Pro.

Before coming to POLITICO, Brannen covered congress for Defense News, providing regular coverage of the budget debate on Capitol Hill and its implications for national security. Previously, she spent three years covering the U.S. Army — first as a reporter for InsideDefense.com, then as the land warfare correspondent for Defense News.

Brannen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, with a bachelor's degree in history. She has received graduate degrees from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and School of International and Public Affairs.